After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: If You Don’t Like Me Anymore, Then I…

The two young lovers hadn’t seen each other for over a week, so naturally, they had a lot to talk about.

Xia Shinan didn’t know the exact reason for Tang Yin’s trip back to her hometown, so she could only guess that Grandma might have found out about Tang Yin being taken to the police station, gotten angry and argued with Tang Yin, and then returned to her hometown.

“I can go and explain to Grandma that everything you did was for me. If she wants to scold or be angry with you, she can take it out on me.”

Tang Yin pursed her lips and looked at Xia Shinan, her eyes filled with many complex emotions. Her chest heaved, wanting to unleash all the emotions in her heart, but she couldn’t, because the person in front of her was the caring Xia Shinan who had waited for her.

Finally, Tang Yin let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. Grandma… she doesn’t blame you, and she doesn’t blame me.”

“Then her returning to her hometown was…”

Tang Yin’s left hand, hidden from Xia Shinan’s view, was tightly clenched into a fist. “She wanted to go back to her hometown to see it, so I went back with her.”

She managed a slight chuckle: “It was a good chance for me to hide from the Lin family too.”

Xia Shinan sensed the sadness radiating from Tang Yin and gently hugged her. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault! Don’t worry, the Lin family won’t trouble you anymore. When summer break starts, we’ll go back to see Grandma together.”

Tang Yin closed her eyes, suppressing the immediate surge of sadness and grief, and gave a fleeting “Mm.”

“It’s getting late. Aren’t you going to rest?” Speaking again, Tang Yin’s emotions had calmed down. She let go of Xia Shinan’s embrace and smiled faintly.

Xia Shinan shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s a dream, and you’ll be gone when I wake up.” She reached out and gently stroked Tang Yin’s face, her heart aching. “Tang Yin, you’ve lost weight. Haven’t you been eating properly these past few days?”

Tang Yin nodded. “I really haven’t eaten or slept well. I’m very tired.”

Hearing her words, Xia Shinan felt even more self-reproach. Her eyes welled up with tears again, full of guilt. “I’m sorry…”

“What are you sorry for?” Tang Yin curved her lips. “Everything that happened, neither you nor I could predict. What I did for you, I did voluntarily.”

Xia Shinan shook her head. She didn’t know why she needed to say “I’m sorry,” but an inner voice told her that she should.

“Silly girl…” Tang Yin subconsciously reached out to lightly kiss her forehead but stopped herself. “I’m so tired. I want to take a shower and then have a comfortable sleep. Can I?”

“Okay.” Xia Shinan quickly led her to the bathroom. “I’ll go find you some clean clothes! You take a shower first, and then I’ll order some takeout for you, okay?”

“Mm.”

Tang Yin nodded, took the clean clothes, and walked into the bathroom.

The hot water from the shower rained down on her whole body, washing away Tang Yin’s tears. Only at this moment, even if she cried out loud, no one would hear it.

But Tang Yin had long forgotten how to cry out loud. She had cried enough the night her grandmother passed away.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, deeply inhaling the fruity scent of the shower gel, but no matter how many times she washed, she couldn’t wash away the darkness and filth in her heart.

What happened couldn’t be changed. Grandma was gone, and she had no family left.

Listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, Xia Shinan still felt somewhat in a daze. Perhaps because Tang Yin’s departure was so sudden, and her return was also so sudden, it felt too unreal to her.

She waited outside the bathroom door. The sound of water had stopped long ago, and Tang Yin still hadn’t come out. Thinking of Tang Yin’s frail face, Xia Shinan started to worry and knocked on the door.

“Tang Yin, are you okay?”

“Tang Yin!”

Footsteps came from inside, and the door was yanked open. Tang Yin’s wet hair hung down. She was wrapped in a towel that wasn’t properly fastened, exposing a large part of her chest. Those dark, deep eyes stared at Xia Shinan.

“What’s wrong?”

Xia Shinan’s eyes were full of worry. She walked forward and hugged her. “You didn’t come out, and I was worried you might have fainted inside.”

“I won’t…” Tang Yin said, glancing at the hairdryer in her right hand. “I was about to dry my hair.”

Xia Shinan’s eyes lit up. “I’ll dry your hair for you! You always helped me blow dry mine. Now I’ll help you!”

“Can you?” Tang Yin smiled faintly, pulling up the corner of her mouth.

“I can!” Xia Shinan pulled Tang Yin to sit down. She held the hairdryer, tested the speed and temperature, then lightly styled her hair with one hand while pressing the power button with the other.

Xia Shinan was genuinely good at drying hair, but her movements were so gentle that it took over twenty minutes to finish.

“Whew, done!” She even rubbed fragrant hair oil on Tang Yin’s hair. “How is it?”

Tang Yin sighed helplessly, “It’s wonderful. I almost fell asleep.” Normally, she would just blow dry her hair until it was semi-dry in five minutes. Today was quite a treat.

She held Xia Shinan’s hand. “Are you tired?”

Xia Shinan shook her head, instead gripping Tang Yin’s hand tightly. “What about you? Are you tired lately?”

Tang Yin wanted to say no, but the fatigue in her eyes was undeniable.

She softly murmured, “Mm,” “Very tired.”

Xia Shinan hugged her. “If you’re tired, you can lean on me, okay?”

“Mm.”

Xia Shinan paused, then continued, “Tang Yin, please don’t disappear and cut off contact like that again. I was really scared.”

“I won’t,” Tang Yin gently patted Xia Shinan’s back. “I’ll stay with you from now on.”

That night, both of them slept well, dreamlessly.

Xia Shinan woke up and opened her eyes. Remembering that Tang Yin had returned last night, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up. She gently turned over, thinking that Tang Yin hadn’t slept well these past few days, so she shouldn’t wake her.

But when she turned around, Xia Shinan’s smile instantly vanished—Tang Yin wasn’t there.

Was last night all a hallucination? Xia Shinan was terrified. She immediately got out of bed and rushed out of the bedroom.

Not in the bathroom, not in the living room, and not in the kitchen!

“Tang Tang! Tang Yin!” Xia Shinan stood in the living room shouting. The response was silence.

The unease in her heart grew. When did Tang Yin leave? Why did she leave without telling her? Did coming back last night just mean saying goodbye?

But she clearly said she would stay with her from now on.

Tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. Xia Shinan walked out the door, her only thought being to find Tang Yin.

“Ding!” The elevator arrived at the floor. When the door opened, the person inside froze upon seeing Xia Shinan.

“Shinan? Where are you going?”

Xia Shinan looked up, saw Tang Yin reappear, and burst into tears, hugging her.

“Where did you go? I thought you left me again.”

“I went to buy breakfast. There’s no food at home…” Tang Yin glanced at Xia Shinan, who was barefoot. If she had actually gone downstairs, she would definitely have gotten cut by the stones on the path.

She sighed lightly, picked Xia Shinan up in her arms, carried her back, used a free hand to open the door, and put her down on the table in the foyer.

“Wait for me.”

She closed the door, placed the breakfast aside, and went to the bedroom to find slippers for Xia Shinan.

But when she turned back, Xia Shinan had already followed her to the bedroom. Tang Yin wanted to say something scolding, but seeing the tears and red eyes on Xia Shinan’s face, she decided against it.

She squatted down, placed the slippers by Xia Shinan’s feet, and looked up, saying softly, “Will you put on your shoes? Then go wash up. I bought your favorite soybean milk and fried dough sticks.”

Xia Shinan nodded, put on her shoes, and followed Tang Yin out. When she brushed her teeth and washed her face, the water ran very low, fearing she wouldn’t hear any movement from the other side.

Tang Yin poured the purchased soybean milk into cups in the kitchen. When she came out, she saw Xia Shinan sitting at the dining table, staring at her. She smiled and brought the breakfast over. “The soybean milk is still a bit hot, drink it slowly.”

Xia Shinan nodded but remained seated and still. “You promised me last night that you wouldn’t leave. When I saw you weren’t here, I was terrified.”

“I’m sorry,” Tang Yin said. “I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I didn’t want to wake you. How about I leave you a note next time? I’ll report where I go.”

“Mm…” Xia Shinan thought about it, looked down at the breakfast in front of her, and said slowly, “Actually, these past few days you were gone, I kept thinking. If you don’t want to be with me anymore, I… I respect your decision.”

She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m just a jinx. I bring you so many unfortunate things. It’s normal if you want to stay away from me.”

Tang Yin was stunned. She never thought she would hear such words from Xia Shinan’s mouth.

“Jinx” and “unfortunate” were words people used to scold Tang Yin. How could the beautiful and pure Xia Shinan think of herself this way?

Their roles were still officially the same, yet Xia Shinan now resembled the sensitive, insecure Tang Yin of the past.

After speaking, Xia Shinan took Tang Yin’s hand. “But as long as you come back, I will firmly hold your hand. Tang Yin, only you can decide whether we continue. If you don’t like me anymore, I won’t pester you.”

Tang Yin looked at the tightly clasped hands, was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I won’t.”

“Mm!” Xia Shinan’s heart finally settled a little. She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of the cut fried dough stick, and after taking a bite, her eyes curved with a smile. “It’s delicious.”

In the afternoon, Tang Yin had to go back to school to explain her situation to the counselor and get retroactive leave.

Xia Shinan accompanied her to school and found a quiet, secluded coffee shop to sit in.

Qian Yu came to join Xia Shinan after class to wait for Tang Yin.

“Now that Tang Yin is back, I feel relieved. It saves you from being gloomy every day.”

Xia Shinan smiled faintly. “But I still feel a bit uneasy. Maybe it’s… because I like Tang Yin too much that I’m becoming anxious about loss.”

Qian Yu clicked her tongue. “It’s the first day your girlfriend is back, and you’re already showing off your affection?”

“Not at all!” Xia Shinan’s mood brightened considerably with Qian Yu’s teasing, and she laughed out loud.

“Shinan, what are you planning to do? Your mother will be back in a week at most if she can’t find you,” Qian Yu asked her.

They weren’t from ordinary families. It was impossible to escape their parents and live in another city. Although the Xia family seemed to be declining these years, tracking a girl’s whereabouts was too easy for them.

A flicker of light crossed Xia Shinan’s eyes.

“I called my aunt.”

Her aunt had said she would give her a birthday gift of her choice last time she visited. The gift she wanted was simple: freedom.

“I want to ask my aunt to help Tang Yin and me transfer schools, go to another city, or study abroad…” She added uncertainly, “Of course, I haven’t talked to Tang Yin about it yet. I’ll ask her after my aunt agrees.”

Hearing Xia Shinan say this, Qian Yu felt somewhat relieved, but would Tang Yin really go? She remembered Ming Jing telling her that Grandma Tang was seriously ill, convalescing in the countryside, and Tang Yin had to come back for school.

Ming Jing had also told her to keep it from Xia Shinan. She was initially hesitant, but now she felt it was better to keep the secret.

No matter what, her best friend’s freedom was more important.

“If Tang Yin doesn’t want to transfer with you, then go by yourself! Guarantee your own freedom first. When you become strong later, you can turn around and take care of Tang Yin… and her family, right?”

Xia Shinan smiled and nodded. “I will work hard to become strong and protect you and Tang Yin in the future!”

Hearing this, Qian Yu couldn’t help but tear up. “Who needs you to protect me… It’s more like I’ll protect you.”

At a high-end Western restaurant, a politely dressed server led Tang Yin, whose attire was very out of place, inside.

At a window seat, a woman was on the phone, looking out the window. Seeing Tang Yin arrive, she said to the person on the other end: “I have to go now, talk to you later.”

She hung up the phone and smiled at Tang Yin.

Tang Yin glanced at her phone, sat down, and took a plastic film out of her bag. “This is her hair.”

Qi Ning raised an eyebrow, took the plastic film, and looked at the strand of hair inside, sighing with a light laugh.

“A single strand of hair can change fate. How utterly sad…”

Tang Yin frowned slightly and took out another plastic film from her bag. “This is my hair.”

“Good.” Qi Ning took them, tilted her head, and smiled at Tang Yin. “How was it, meeting the good girl yesterday?”

Tang Yin looked up and stared quietly at Qi Ning. “It’s none of your business.”

Qi Ning laughed out loud: “Actually, have you considered that what we are doing is also helping Xia Shinan? Since she’s not a daughter of the Xia family, she won’t have to marry the Lin family.”

“She should thank you. So, you don’t need to feel so burdened.”

Tang Yin pursed her lips, unwilling to listen to Qi Ning’s sophistry.

“Can the plan be postponed slightly? Her birthday is coming soon. I want to wait until after her birthday to…”

“Wait?” Qi Ning looked at her, the light reflecting off her glasses radiating a hint of coldness. She curled her lips and let out a scoff: “When your grandmother took her last breath, why didn’t you ask her to hold on and wait for you a little longer?”

“Bang!”

Tang Yin suddenly stood up, staring fiercely at the other woman. A loud noise came from the chair scraping against the floor. A few servers glanced at her, then continued with their work.

Qi Ning leaned back in her chair. “Why are you getting angry at me? Which part of what I said was wrong?”

“Tang Yin, you’re not a child anymore.”

“People who are indecisive will never succeed at anything.”

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